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News18
7 days ago
- Health
- News18
Why Armies Are Recruiting Rats, And What India Is Doing With Bees
Last Updated: Along the porous and often volatile India-Bangladesh border, the Border Security Force (BSF) has deployed a most unconventional weapon, i.e. bees In a quiet compound in Cambodia, rats scurry across a field – not in search of food, but of danger. These are no ordinary rodents. Known as African Giant Pouched Rats or more affectionately as 'HeroRATs", they are trained to detect hidden landmines and explosives with stunning precision. Cambodia's military has embraced their services, and so have armies in Ukraine, Israel, and several European nations. These oversized rodents, native to sub-Saharan Africa, boast a uniquely powerful sense of smell that allows them to detect even minute traces of explosives like TNT. Measuring up to 45 centimetres long, with tails extending nearly half a metre, the African Giant Pouched Rat might resemble a small cat more than a typical house rat. But unlike most animals, they are light enough to walk over landmines without setting them off, making them invaluable in mine-infested countries such as Mozambique, Angola, and Cambodia. It's not just their sensitive noses that make them perfect for the job. A rat can clear an area the size of a tennis court in just 30 minutes, a task that would take human deminers days, often at great personal risk. They are relatively cheap to maintain and can be trained in less than a year. With a lifespan of 6 to 8 years, these rodents can serve for most of their lives, proving both cost-effective and dependable. The Belgian nonprofit APOPO pioneered the training of these rats, branding them 'HeroRATs" and sending them into post-conflict zones. Their ability to detect plastic mines, which metal detectors often miss, further increases their value. And their talents don't end with explosives; in medical settings, these rats have even been trained to sniff out tuberculosis in human sputum samples. While Cambodia and Ukraine deploy rats in minefields, Israel's security forces are giving them an urban twist. Specially trained rodents are used at airports to sniff out explosives in luggage – a subtler, more mobile alternative to bomb-sniffing dogs. Compact, quick, and almost undetectable in their work, these rats assist in pre-empting potential terror threats without drawing attention. Russia, too, has joined the ranks of rat trainers, employing them in mine detection. Iran, on the other hand, once claimed to have developed 'suicide rats" trained to infiltrate enemy bases and detonate explosives, though this sensational claim remains unverified and widely disputed. While rats rule the landmines, India has turned to the hives. Along the porous and often volatile India-Bangladesh border, the Border Security Force (BSF) has deployed a most unconventional weapon, i.e. bees. In West Bengal's Nadia district, BSF's 32nd Battalion has begun hanging beekeeping boxes along barbed-wire fences. These apiaries are not just for honey. The swarms of bees inside act as a natural deterrent to smugglers and infiltrators. Anyone attempting to breach the fences risks an immediate and painful attack. The presence of bees has reportedly already started discouraging illegal crossings. Flowering plants have been cultivated nearby to support the hives, while BSF personnel receive training in basic beekeeping – a fusion of agriculture and national defence that might once have sounded absurd but is proving remarkably effective. Not to be left behind, marine forces around the world are turning to the ocean's most intelligent creatures. The US Navy operates the Marine Mammal Program, which trains dolphins and California sea lions to detect underwater mines and protect naval assets. Dolphins, with their natural sonar, can locate submerged explosives more accurately than most machines. Sea lions, meanwhile, are trained to retrieve objects and even tag divers. Russia has mirrored these efforts, deploying dolphins for underwater reconnaissance and possibly even espionage. Marine mammals offer the advantage of speed, intelligence, and stealth, making them ideal partners in naval operations. The global embrace of animal operatives signals a shift in how militaries perceive intelligence, adaptability, and cost-efficiency. Whether sniffing out bombs, detecting diseases, or guarding borders, animals are stepping into roles once reserved for humans and machines. First Published:
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Meet the rat Carolina who is retiring after saving hundreds of lives
In the fight against one of the world's most lethal diseases, Carolina is a standout — not just as a rat, but as a marvelous life-saver. In the big world of medicine, lifesaving heroes can be unexpected. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now For Carolina, the giant African pouched rat, her job isn't to entertain or oblige — but to save lives. With her little paws, wiggling whiskers, and incredible sense of smell, Carolina is a valuable player in the worldwide battle against tuberculosis (TB), sniff by sniff. Carolina is one of the participants in a special program by the non-profit organization APOPO that trains rats to identify landmines and diagnose diseases such as TB. Rats in medicine would raise an eyebrow or two, but Carolina's work proves the immense potential of nature's gifts if used effectively. What is Tuberculosis? Tuberculosis, a bacterial disease that targets the lungs specifically, is still a leading infectious cause of death worldwide, and especially in the developing world. Getting it right and on time is essential, but in most of the developing world, there is no up-to-date diagnostic equipment to be found. Owing to her incredible scent, Carolina can detect TB in human sputum samples with speed and accuracy. She can sort through hundreds of samples in minutes, much quicker than the speed of conventional testing methods. What it takes a lab technician hours or even days to do, she can do in minutes. Studies have shown that these have the potential to double detection rates for TB by up to 40% when used to validate tests at community clinics. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now For seven years, quietly and without fanfare, Carolina has done her job — sniffing, stopping, and indicating. With each indication she makes when she finds TB, she gets a food reward and possibly provides a human patient with an improved opportunity for treatment and healing. It's a system of faith, accuracy, and attention between the handlers and their animals. A recent Instagram post celebrating Carolina's work has shed light on the bigger work being done by APOPO. The entry shows Carolina in the field and regards her as a "superstar"—a title she has certainly earned. With millions of lives touched by TB each year, the work of APOPO's one little rat is a reminder that the fight against disease doesn't always require high-tech solutions. Sometimes it means having great instincts and a great nose. Rats are pests and not healthcare or heroes. But Carolina defies that every day, showing us that intelligence, commitment, and influence are not species-specific. Regardless of a field clinic or a laboratory, the service of animals like Carolina reminds us that assistance and hope can be found in the unlikeliest of places.
South China Morning Post
11-05-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Ronin the rat sets Guinness World Record for landmine detection in Cambodia
A rat trained to find landmines in Cambodia has set a new world record. The rodent discovered over 100 landmines and unexploded objects, according to a charity report from last month. Ronin is a large African pouched rat. Since being deployed to northern Preah Vihear province in August 2021, he has found 109 landmines and 15 other dangerous remnants of war, according to the Belgian charity APOPO. Five-year-old Ronin has been named the most successful Mine Detection Rat (MDR) in the organisation's history. 'His exceptional accomplishments have earned him the Guinness World Records title for most landmines detected by a rat, highlighting the critical role of HeroRats in humanitarian demining,' APOPO said. Ronin beat the previous record, held by hero rodent Magawa. Magawa found 71 landmines and 38 unexploded ordnances during his five-year service before retirement in 2021. Magawa, a hero recognised with a gold medal, cleared landmines from approximately 225,000 square meters of land, which is about the size of 42 football pitches. He passed away in 2022. Cambodia is littered with mines, discarded ammunition and other arms from decades of war starting in the 1960s. After more than 30 years of civil war ended in 1998, Cambodia was left as one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. Deaths from mines and unexploded ordnance are still common, with around 20,000 fatalities since 1979, and twice that number wounded. Agence France-Presse Questions Why is it important to find landmines, even from many years ago? Why are rats better than humans at finding landmines?
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Meet a 'Very Diligent' Rat Named Ronin Who Has Sniffed Out a Record-Breaking 109 Landmines in Cambodia
"He's a very hardworking rat," Cindy Fast, head of APOPO's training and research efforts, tells PEOPLE of the group's star landmine-sniffing rodent Since 1979, nearly 20,000 people — many of them children — have been killed (and another 45,000 injured) by unexploded weapons in Cambodia Experts estimate that there over 110 million active landmines — enough to circle the Earth twice — still buried in 60 countries Let's face it, rats pretty much have one of the most miserable reputations of any member of the animal kingdom — hardly surprising due to their habit of living in sewers, spreading deadly diseases and eating rotting garbage. But every so often a rat comes along that bucks the trend and leads the kind of life that forces people to rethink everything they once took for granted about these creatures. Which brings us to Ronin, a 5 1/2-year-old African giant pouched rat from Tanzania. Since 2021, Ronin, who now lives in Cambodia's Preah Vihear Province, has used his insanely sensitive nose to sniff out 109 deadly landmines and 15 unexploded pieces of military weaponry that have spent decades buried in the ground. 'I don't know if you can call a rat hard working, but that's exactly what he is," Cindy Fast, head of training and research with the Belgian-based nonprofit APOPO, tells PEOPLE from her office in Morogoro, Tanzania. "Ever since he was a pup, he's just been a very quick learner and very diligent. He's one of our larger rats and is a really big fan of food. He's very, very motivated by food." Ronin's feat — which eclipsed the record set by fellow bomb-sniffing rodent Magawa that involved 71 mines and 38 pieces of unexploded ordnance — recently landed him a Guinness World Records title. In a statement about the achievement, Adam Millward, managing editor for the organization wrote: 'Guinness World Records feats aren't always just about smashing milestones—sometimes they can be about smashing preconceptions too. The life-changing results of APOPO's [rats], their handlers and all the people involved with training and caring for these incredible animals is a revelatory example of the good that can be achieved when humans and animals work together.' In a country where the estimated six million landmines lurking in the topsoil have caused tens of thousands of deaths and countless amputations, Ronin's work is nothing short of heaven sent. Since 1979, nearly 20,000 people — many of them children — have been killed after accidentally stumbling upon landmines, and another 45,000 have been injured, according to the Cambodian Mine Action And Victim Assistance Authority. The nation has the world's highest number of amputees per capita in the world. Even more frightening, researchers with APOPO estimate there are over 110 million active landmines—enough to circle the Earth twice—buried underground in 60 countries. 'Whether there's a mine [buried in a specific parcel of land] or not, so many people are living with a looming psychological threat,' says Fast. 'It's such a huge release to have that threat removed and know that an area is safe.' Often these minefields are located adjacent to schools, which has poseed a deadly dilemma for generations of students. 'Every so often,' adds Fast, 'a ball will get loose and the kids end up drawing straws to see which student is going to be the brave one to go retrieve it from the minefield.' Related: 'Hero Rat' Magawa Retires After Spending 5 Years Sniffing Out Landmines in Cambodia The idea behind using rats to sniff out wartime explosives was hatched in 1995 from APOPO founder Bart Weetjens, who at the time was studying engineering in Belgium when he was tasked with finding a cost-efficient solution to a real-world problem for a class project. After stumbling upon a research paper detailing how a hamster had been trained to detect explosives, Weetjens — who had raised pet rats as a kid and was impressed by how clever they were — wondered if rodents might also be up to the task. Clearly, they were. Since 1997, APOPO — which played a crucial role in helping the nation of Mozambique finally remove all of its known landmines in 2017 — has removed buried explosives from millions of square meters of land around the world. In 2016 they began sending their landmine-sniffing rats to Cambodia. The group currently has 118 pouched rats in training or deployed for mine detection — with another 49 rats being used to detect tuberculosis in sputum samples in several African nations. Their sensitive noses, which can pick up the scent of a half drop of chlorine in an area the size of 20 Olympic swimming pools, are able to detect a trillionth of a gram of TNT in the buried explosives. Even more importantly, the group's rodents — which are the size of small cats and weigh roughly four lbs. — aren't heavy enough to detonate the pressure-sensitive triggers on the landmines. 'We've never had a rat injured or killed in the line of duty,' says Fast. Ronin spent nearly a year undergoing meticulous training, using pureed avocados and bananas as a reward, in Tanzania before being sent to Cambodia in 2021. Since then, he arises each morning before sunrise and — after having sunscreen applied to his easily sunburned ears and tail — he goes to work. Because of the extreme focus involved for his job, he only spends 12 minutes on the job before clocking out for the day. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'The average rat goes for 20 minutes, but he's not easily distracted and once he gets his to-do list done for the day, he gets to go rest in the shade and just be a rat,' says Fast, who estimates Ronin has another two years of work in him before retiring. 'We make custom clay pots for them to sleep in that mimics their underground burrows. That's where you'll often find them flopped on their backs with the bellies up, just zonked out.' To date, Ronin has cleared landmines from nearly 194,000 square meters — roughly the size of a thousand tennis courts — of land and shows no sign of slowing down. As for what sort of a bonus the record-setting rodent received after winning his Guinness honors on April 4 (which, of course, happens to be World Rat Day), it sounds like his handlers kept things fairly low key. 'I didn't get to the party,' says Fast, laughing. 'But I'm pretty sure he got an extra helping of bananas that day.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Giant rat celebrated for detecting one of the world's deadliest illnesses: 'We really do see them as heroes'
Carolina isn't your average retiree. After seven years of devoted work, Carolina, an African giant pouched rat, had sniffed out more than 3,000 cases of tuberculosis that medical tests had missed, likely helping 30,000 more people avoid infection, according to National Geographic. Carolina worked for APOPO, a nonprofit organization that has 40 trained rats fighting TB in Tanzania and Ethiopia. These remarkable animals aren't your typical city pests. Their bodies are longer than a 13-inch laptop, with equally long tails and an extraordinary sense of smell. "Everybody's first impression is that the rats are our enemies," said physician Tefera Agizew, head of tuberculosis for APOPO, in the National Geographic report. "Once they see how they function, they fall in love with them." TB remains the top killer worldwide from a single infectious agent, according to the World Health Organization. In Tanzania and Ethiopia alone, over 50,000 people died from TB in 2023, reported epidemiologist Tess Ryckman of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, per National Geographic. These rats are helping out in a big way — Carolina is able to screen 100 sputum samples in just 20 minutes, compared to the four days it takes a human with a microscope. This speed and accuracy have boosted detection rates by 40% at local clinics. The rats go through a year of training, incentivized with banana-avocado smoothie rewards. Each must pass a final test: evaluating 500 samples without missing a single positive case. APOPO's program, called HeroRATS, began with landmine detection before expanding to TB, National Geographic reported. Last year alone, the program prevented nearly 400,000 new TB cases in Tanzania and Ethiopia. Carolina now enjoys retirement in an outdoor enclosure, which she shares with a roommate, fellow retiree Gilbert. Her send-off featured applause, cake, and celebration from her human colleagues. "Not only are we saving people's lives, but we're also changing these perspectives and raising awareness and appreciation for something as lowly as a rat," said Cindy Fast, who coaches the rats as APOPO's head of training and behavioral research. "Because our rats are our colleagues, and we really do see them as heroes." The next time you wrinkle your nose at a rodent, remember Carolina, the giant rat with a tiny nose saving thousands of lives, one sniff at a time. Should the U.S. government ban all products tested on animals? Absolutely No way Only certain kinds of products Let each state decide Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
